Friday, May 29, 2015

Methodist Church in Britain apologises for 'grief and shame' in failing to protect children

The Rev Paul Flowers, left, and the late Liberal Democrat MP Cyril Smith

The Methodist Church yesterday made an ‘unreserved’ public apology for failing to protect children and vulnerable adults after an investigation uncovered nearly 2,000 cases of abuse within the institution.

The independent inquiry revealed 1,885 cases of alleged abuse linked to the church in Britain, the largest proportion of which were of a sexual nature, dating back to the 1950s.

The 100-page report also disclosed that many serving church ministers and staff helped to protect colleagues who carried out abuse.

One case concerned the grooming of teenage girls on Facebook while another involved a minister allegedly making sexual advances to children. Methodist general secretary, the Rev Dr Martyn Atkins, said the cases of abuse would remain ‘a deep source of grief and shame to the church’. (more...)